


Skip the Robin, Just Be a Hero

by TheAverageLilac



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Canon? never met 'em, Everything is kind of as I go, Gender Fluid Character, Hurt/Comfort, It started as a fluke and I grew attached, Major Character Undeath, TBH the comics don't even follow canon, Thats a Tag?, author has no clue what they are doing, characters to be added as I go, i guess, its just a story I did for fun, so why should I, updates are not on a scedual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27494215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAverageLilac/pseuds/TheAverageLilac
Summary: Archer Hale grew up in Central City, following around their parents and listening to stories their grandmother told over dinner. Stories that would get weird looks from both parents, but on occasion everyone would laugh and have a good time.Never did Archer think that they would be come apart of those stories, not when life liked to pull things away from them and toss them aside. But here they stand, wind tossing their hair around and a smile on their face, looking out into a city they never thought to call home. Gotham sure is different than Central, that's for sure.





	Skip the Robin, Just Be a Hero

It was cold, not unusual for this time of year. But it was cold and it had just rained an hour ago and Archer wasn’t wearing the proper shoes to be outside. Archer had thought it would be sunny all day, mostly to their grandmother’s joy about it being a rare nice day. They didn’t like fall all that much, mainly because it was cold, and fall meant only two or so more months till snow, and snow meant no more flats. And that was exactly what they were wearing today, a pretty pair of flats they had found in a box that the neighbor had thrown in the dumpster three days ago. Why the shoes had been thrown away was anyone's guess, Archer guessed that the little girl they belonged to grew out of them, but they didn’t really care. Shoes where shoes and it was a great catch to get them before someone else did. 

“Come on, it’ll make you warm.” Archer wiggled around the woman blocking the path out of the alley. It’s the same alley that grandma takes as a shortcut to get home. Usually there isn’t anyone here, it’s not owned territory and frequented by the bat, so not many dealers like to stick around. This woman must have been desperate, but Archer had been told on multiple occasions not to talk to strangers. So they weren’t going to if it could be helped. 

“No thank-you.” Being polite is the first lesson that Archer was taught, after ‘Don’t talk to strangers!’ of course, so maybe a polite retreat would be ideal. Archer never made it a habit to walk anywhere by herself, especially at night, so this was new. They imagined it would be as easy as dodging bullies or older kids in the school halls. 

The woman stepped in front of her again, this time grabbing hold of her shoulder. Archer looked up, from the muddy sneakers, to the short slacks showing off what used to be fuzzy socks, up over the pink sweater that had a hole in just the right spot for Archer to tell the woman wore a blue bra. Then she came up to the woman’s face, not an inch of it was covered in make-up, her eyes poked out like those weird witches during Halloween, and she had a mole on her chin. Her hair looked like the yarn that Archer had watched her mother crochet into an itchy scarf -Archer wondered if the woman’s hair would be itchy as well. The woman was tall, tall enough that Archer had to let her head fall backward as boney and sharp fingers held her still. 

“Listen, kid, you don’t gotta take it, just gotta buy some yeah?” Archer scrunched up her nose as the woman spoke, having a closer look at the woman’s thin lips as she moved them over her skinny teeth that darkened along their edges. Her breath spilled out, the smell bringing the image of the man who lived next door and always had some type of brown bag when he walked around fooling no one of its contents. No on in Gotham was that stupid, maybe the Wayne kids, but Archer didn’t think they would be as oblivious as the media says, especially the new one.

“I got a quota to meet, you know what that is right kid?” Archer nodded her head, she wasn’t stupid. Her mama had quotas too, so did her dad.

“I don’t, don't want nothin’ though.” Archer tried to pull away again, nails digging through her sweater and into her shoulders. The one’s gripped harder than the time Archer’s dad had hugged her the first time she got lost at the park.

“Kid, just give me some money or somethin’ I’ll flush the pills if it makes you feel better, just need cash.” The woman leaned closer into Archer’s space.

“I ain’t got none!” Archer wiggled her best to try and get from the woman’s grip. She really hoped the nails didn’t leave marks, she had P.E. second period tomorrow and she did not want to answer those questions. She already got yelled at about being too scrawny.

“Shit kid, I saw ya’ count’en comin’ down, just fork it over!” Archer was moved back and forth by her shoulders. She’d never been in this kind of situation before, never been alone when it was this dark before. She didn’t like the woman so close to her, didn’t like being shook so much her brain rattled. She didn’t like the muddy water that seeped into her flats and around her new socks. She started to cry. 

Her mama said that it was okay to cry in stressful situations, but the boy across the hall said it was stupid. 'It's for babies!' the boy had told her, and that's what she felt like now, a baby. All she wanted was her gran or her mama, she didn't want this woman in her face, she didn't want the smell of trash around her. She wanted to be next to her mama on the couch with her dad's favorite blanket wrapped around them. This was too much.

“Shit,” the woman stopped shaking her as Archer audibly whined. “Fuck kid, shut up!” Archer cried harder as the woman wrapped her boney-sharp hands around her head. Archer moved as well, moving her hands to claw at the woman trying to silence her. Archer wiggled and fought, but the woman worked her around and pressed her against her skeleton body. “Kid, quiet, kid, Jesus I’ll let you go home, just shut the hell up!”

“Maybe you should just let the kid go now?” The woman stilled, Archer on the other hand had found an opening to wrap her teeth around the woman’s hand and bite. The woman yelled out in frustration and Archer found herself floating toward the muddy ground, her feet not quite getting under her properly. There was a quick rustle and Archer found herself planted against someone instead of the ground. 

“Shit.” The woman cursed and moved to run away, someone jumping down in front of her before she could make her way out. She turned but before she could move far enough, a strong hand grasped her shoulder.

Archer wiggled and pushed as the person tried to hold her steady. The rough hushes coming from her capturer not giving her any comfort. They were in her space and she didn’t want that, didn’t like the touches. She bit down on an offending wrist drawing a hiss from whoever held her, or tried to for that matter. She scratched best she could, her nails catching on bumps in fabric. Archer had already let the woman get the best of her. If she was going to be strong and show her gran that she could make it home on her own then she had to put up more of a fight. 

“Robin, let them go.”

“But-”

“Let them go.” And Archer was free, her body rolled to the muddy ground and she sat up. She moved away from the figure and breathed. In four, hold seven, out eight. She counted, tapping her fingers on her leg. Just like she was taught, albeit a bit more rushed than previously recommended. Archer curled into herself, if she was small enough they'd miss her in the shadows of the alley. She sat for what felt like hours, they must have left by now, but when she looked up her eyes zeroed in on the black and white mask in front her. A hand reached out to her when she looked up, but didn't get anywhere as Archer shuffled away. She stared, eyes wide as she took in the boy. The red and green popping up everywhere as her mind flashed with the thought of Christmas, birds, and finally, as her eyes landed on the shine of a golden  _ R  _ on the boy's chest, her shoulders slumped. Her breathing didn't miraculously get better, but she found herself able to draw in air just a little more.

“Ya good?” The boy lifted his hands to show peace and Archer dumbly nodded her head. She never thought she’d meet Robin. She moved her head around to see that Batman wasn’t there. Archer would feel bummed about that later, right now though, Robin was sitting in front of her. 

“He left kid.” Archer snapped her head back to Robin, and again nodded dumbly, words of how they were both kids stayed trapped in her mind. Archer wondered absently about whether or not the kids at school would believe her. Archer shivered, feeling stupid as she looked at the boy before her. She, herself, wore long pants, her favorite skirt over top them and a long sleeved sweater with a tee-shirt underneath that. He simply wore shorts and a short sleeved shirt with a cape. And she was the one shivering, but his clothes weren't wet she supposed.

“Where-” Archer didn’t know what she was asking, just that she wanted to go home. Her mind filled in that whatever she was asking wasn't going to get her any closer to her house.

“We’re in the alley you stupidly went down, why the hell did you walk down here in the first place?” He sounded more stressed than angered. He looked like a feral rabbit that Archer had tried to take home once, not that she was going to tell him that. 

“Gotta get home.” She spoke shortly, moving to stand up only to stumble when she realized one of her flats had fallen off. She righted herself, sure the embarrassment of messing up in front of her hero would catch up later, and stared out into the darkness trying to pinpoint her lost yellow shoe. For something so bright, it was really hard to spot. Her head swam, everything she saw jumped together. She needed to get home, needed to find her shoe. Her mom and grandmother would question her if she brought home one shoe.

“And ya’ came through the alley, stupid.” Robin moved in her periphery Archer moved opposite of him, keeping him in a circle of her. His colors flashed out against everything else around her, if only her shoe did the same. She felt stupid for keeping distance from the boy who helped her, but she couldn't bring herself to want people in her space yet. Robin moved over to where the woman had stopped her and knelt down, when he stood up Archer watched wide eyed as he held up her shoe. The yellow not standing out as much as Robin's inner cape. “It’s seen better days for sure.” He waved it around. When he got closer, Archer reached out to grab it. He pulled it back and Archer stumbled. 

“Gotta get home.” She said again, reaching for the shoe. Her socks were wet, her hair was wet, she was cold.

“How ‘bout I take you home?” Robin moved the shoe again and Archer huffed as she let her arms drop. She didn't have the energy to play games, and she was still cold.

“Huh?”

“You’re by yourself stupid, and I’m Robin so I gotta.” He boasted. Archer didn't think, she bit her lip before speaking up, her depleted energy and confusion twisting into irritation.

“I don’t think Robin wouldn't let me have my shoe.” Archer moved to sway a bit, her left hand rising to point at her shoe.

“So you can say more than three words!” Robin laughed as Archer looked up with wide eyes.

“Of course I can!” She yelled back, her head hurt as it bounced with the sound of her voice. She pulled back, arms pulling closer to herself as she shivered in pain, the chills going up her back helped little to sooth her. Robin’s laughter stopped, Archer looked up through her bangs. Robin looked away from her so quickly she almost felt offended, he began mumbling under his breath before his free hand fell from his ear.

“Um, here, your shoe.” Archer looked from Robin’s face and then to her outstretched shoe. Gingerly, she reached out and grabbed the yellow flat. She took it quickly, bending her knee so she could slip it onto her soaking wet sock. She tilted a bit, but managed to keep steady and move away when Robin moved to reach out. Her nose scrunched to her brow and her eyes squinted, mouth pulling upward as she sat her foot to the ground with a loud squish. Robin visible winched, a hiss leaving through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, bout all that." He waved his hand around towards Archer's feet. Archer looked from her feet, moving them inward and outward, and up to Robin. He stood only an inch shorter than her, his hair a shiny black color and from the way the faint street light hit him he looked like a ghost. She remembered seeing pictures of the other robin, the first robin, he had his hair done differently and he wasn't so pale either.

"It's alright I guess, if you apologized." Archer shivered again. She hugged herself, scrunching up her body, trying to make herself small, as to preserve heat. With her head down, she hadn't noticed the small caped crusader unhook his cape. She did notice the warmth that followed when he placed it around her shoulders. She looked up, her hands scrambling to pull the cape tighter around her. She eyed the boy wonder, shuffling her feet and catching in the back of her head the feeling of the cape swaying with her movement.

"It's insulated," Robin shrugged. "Why don't I walk you home?" He nodded out of the alley, a hand reached out to Archer. She looked from his hand then his face as she pulled the cape closer still. Her eyes darted to the direction she came from, dark and bleak looking, and then to the direction she needed to go, less dark but still bleak.

"Okay." She spoke evenly before turning to head out of the alley. She stopped for a second, looking back to Robin, his hand slowly falling. Her eyes traveled back to the exit before she shuffled back to Robin. Maneuvering the cape so it still sat on her shoulders, she reached her right hand out and latched onto Robin's. It'd be safer this way, she didn't know if Robin knew these streets yet, she'd only seen him in the papers four months ago.

"So where do you live anyway?" Robin slowly walked out of the alley, Archer in toe.

"Three more blocks that way." Archer tilted her head to the left as they reached the exit.

"Where were you walking from?" Robin had his other hand behind his head, his face angled to her but she couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not.

"Hospital." Robin stopped short before he began to hover.

"Are you injured? Do you need anything, did anything get knocked loose?" Archer shook her head and looked back to her shoes, muddied. 

"Only my pride, I wasn't there for me, stupid." She didn't mean to sound forceful, it just happened. Her gran said it had to do with genes, whatever that meant.

"Hey, I was only trying to help, don't go calling people names brat!" 

"You just called me a name!" She raised to the taunt, her eyes narrowed at the small hero that continued to look her over. His hand gripped hers tightly all through the commotion.

"Yeah and, I'm probably older than you so you can't do anything about it!" Robin stuck his tongue out. 

"I'm taller so I must be older!" Archer shot back.

"Hight ain't got nothin' to do with it." Robin grumbled before pulling Archer forward again. Archer bites at the response obviously planted for her.

"What," Archer giggled. "Only short people say that."

"Yeah so?"

"So I'm taller, that means I'm older!" Archer declared with a retaliation of sticking out her tongue.

"That doesn't have to do with anything, how old are you!" Robin stopped and pointed at Archer who stopped along with him. A smirk drew across Archer's lips and she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head just a bit, her confidence slowly coming back to her as Robin taunted her.

"I'm eleven, and I also happen to be the tallest kid in my class." That was a lie, Archer was the fourth tallest in class, but Robin didn't need to know that. Robin's hand fell before he straightened up as well. Their hands still latched together, as if one would let go and the other would vanish.

"Well, I'm still older than you!" He declared weakly.

"But I'm taller, you shrimp!" 

"Don't call me names, I'm a hero!"

"A hero of the shrimps!" Archer giggled again, bouncing on her toes this time, her smile almost reached her eyes. The uncomfortableness of her socks and shoes still sitting at the front of her mind as she taunted back. She had seen kids do this at school, with their siblings. She happened to be an only child, and this feeling she got in her chest as she bantered with Robin felt light and tight at the same time. Like she was mourning something she never had but always had seen.

She heard Robin groan something before he's pulling her down the sidewalk. They fell into an easy silence, Archer made easy steps over each crack in the sidewalk she saw. A comment about breaking backs left her lips every time Robin stepped on a crack and only stopped when the boy glared and jumped on a crack a few times. Archer had watched in horror and never spoke up about the cracks again.

"So," Robin started about a block away from Archer's home. "Why were you at the hospital?"

Archer stiffened, her steps coming to an abrupt halt. A shiver ran through her and she pulled the cape a bit tighter from the slack she had given it a few minutes before. She looked up to see Robin's face grow shades of pink, he sputtered stupidly and Archer noticed his hand loosening in her grip before she put a stop to it and gripped his hand so it would stay. Though she let her grip loosen right afterwards, it wasn’t nice to force someone to stay close to her if they didn't want to. To her joy, Robin let his hand stay in hers.

"It's fine." Archer smiled before she continued on her walk, not watching the cracks below her. "I was with my dad, he's gonna go down the river soon, just like grandpa and little Al, so me and gran were visiting."

"Oh, I'm-"

"Don't say sorry, it happens to everyone, sometimes it takes a while and sometimes it's instantly, everyone says sorry, but there's never anything to apologize for, so if you didn't single handedly kill everyone, you don't get to say sorry." Archer looked up to the sky, past the flickering lamp post, past the building tops, and up to the smoggy sky. She wished to see the stars. 

"Oh, well, since you put it that way." Robin rubbed the back of his neck. The steady fall of their shoes on concrete seemed to echo in their ears. After a few seconds, Robin cleared his throat.

"So, why were you walking back alone?"

"Cause gran got called into a shift, Ms. Thompkins needed her help, so I told gran I could make it home just fine, it's real close and I got school tomorrow so I couldn't go with her to the clinic."

"Your gran works with Leslie?"

"You know Ms. Thompkins?"

"A bit."

"Cool! I should tell her I met you, next time I see her." Archer hopped up in excitement. 

"Sure kid, are we there yet?" Robin huffed before he searched the buildings around them. 

"Almost, don't call me 'kid' we're practically the same age."

"I never told you my age."

"Mama says all teenage boys have an aggressive attitude with hints of defensiveness, so you're a teenager and judging by your hight an voice, you haven't even hit puberty." Her mama had told her this after a rather rough fight Archer had with a boy two floors below them. He had been yelling about school and pushed his brother so hard the little boy had fallen to the floor. Archer had tried to step in, but she lost the battle and it had to be broken up by the adults. Mama didn’t speak with Kris’ parents for a bit after that. 

"Jesus kid."

"We're here!" Robin looked up at the apartment building, and winched. Archer looked at him with a frown and then back up to her home. A few air-conditioners hung from the windows, there was one window that had a Hello Kitty blanket in place of an actual curtain. Some of the bricks were discolored, an unusual orange that Archer could never find in her crayon box, not that she used it much anyway. She didn't like that waxy smell of crayons, but opted not to tell her mama because she felt bad about it. Her mother was thoughtful enough to bring her crayons, she'd deal until she could buy her own. Though she'd probably just stick her earnings in the tin that her mother had for college funds. 

"My window is on that side of the building," Archer pointed over to the right of the building, she wasn’t skilled enough to get to it, but there was a stairway a few inches from her window that she was too scared to step on. "So you can't see it from here, but I have awesome drapes, they got dragons on them, and I have a few books about princesses and some about pirates, and even some toys, like Mama brought me some cars that can go super fast on carpet but others have to be rolled on the coffee table or they won't run properly, but my Barbie's are too big for the cars so they're just weird roller skates I guess, wanna see? Mama is home I think and gran will be over after her shift, mama cooked pasta tonight, we have extra in the fridge, mama always cooks too much but I'm sure- you're not coming?" Archer turned around when she got to the door, noting that Robin hadn't followed her from the sidewalk. She fiddled with the cape, she'd done it again she supposed. Everyone said she was too loud and nagy when she talked, so no one would play with her, but sometimes a girl in the grade higher would when they had reuses.

"Ah, no I can't go in with you." Archer watched as Robin looked down at the sidewalk. He stared at a crack like it had answers, she knew that look because her mother would have that same look when holding pamphlets with happy doctors. She wasn’t allowed to read those pamphlets, ' _ not old enough _ ' she was told.

"Oh, okay." Archer let her shoulders drop, she curled her fingers into the cape. Then, with an excellent idea, her head shot up, a large smile gracing her face. 

"Is it because of your costume, cause you're Robin right now?" She hopped on the balls of her feet, jumping down the steps she previously walked up and marched her way to Robin.

"Cause if that's the case, I have roof access, It says I'm not supposed to go up there but that's stupid cause everyone goes up there. Like Sissy, she's not supposed to smoke yet cause she's still a kid, but she's older than me, she's in high school! But she sneaks up to the roof and smokes, she lives above me and she's really loud when she climbs out her window to get on the stairs, she only goes in the morning though cause I think-"

"Yes!" Robin held up his hands, stopping Archer from her speech. She raised a brow as the boy brought his hand down and took the other one to raise to his nose. Her mother did the same motion when Archer got too excited, she always said she had a headache and would send Archer to play in her room. Archer expected that from Robin now, she'd given him a headache and would send her on her way, never to meet again.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" She quickly apologized, gripping the cape around her. If she held tight enough Robin wouldn't take it and would have to stay and talk.

"No, you're okay. Batman is yelling in my ear." Robin groaned and moved his hand from his nose and pushed something in his ear. Archer leaned around, trying to spot the device.

"Robin." Archer straightened and looked at Robin's face, his mask scrunched at his eyebrows and his voice sharp, sharper than before. He sounded older, Archer thought.

"Yes, No, Yeah it's done." Robin looked up to her, the white eyes of his mask meeting her green eyes. He made a face, his lips pushing out and showing of his teeth, like a horse she'd seen at the zoo. Archer giggled. 

"Yeah, yeah no it's fine." He made another face, his mask stretching as he raised his eyebrows and his chin stretched down so his mouth looked like an upside down 'u'. Archer laughed into her hand, unsure if the one and only Batman would be able to hear her.

"Copy that, eta five minutes." He finally let go of his ear, Archer never caught a glimpse of what he pressed.

"You gotta go?" Archer hunched into herself, unsure all of the sudden.

"Uh, yeah, catwoman's trying to steal a gem at the museum, got Ivy's help or somethin’, wasn't really paying attention." Robin shrugged. Archer nodded, her eyes wide, she'd seen catwoman before, when she was walking home with her gran a few weeks ago. 

"Well, see ya." Robin moved to grab an odd gun from his belt, but Archer sputtered and stopped him.

"Here," she took his cape and handed it out, her eyes sad. "Thank-you for walking me home, and saving me, and talking to me, and letting me use this."

"You, you can use it longer if you want, I can come back to get it tomorrow." Robin looked away from her, but Archer couldn't help but smile. A giddy feeling built up in her chest and she let out small laughs.

“What’s so funny!” Robin’s cheeks pinked for another time tonight, the way he lifted his shoulders to look bigger had brought laughter to Archer for an entirely different reason.

“You look like a kitten puffing up it’s fur!”

“Oh yeah! Well I can take the cape back if that’s it!” He huffed. Archer pulled the cape tighter and her eyes widened in mock shock and hurt.

“You can’t!” She let another small laugh pass her lips, covering her mouth.

“Yeah, who says!”

“Me, cause I’m cold,” Archer looked down from Robin quickly, using the cape she hid the bottom half of her face. “And I wanna see you tomorrow too, so it’s co-latter-ol.” 

“Ah, yeah, I guess it is.” Robin looked away from Archer, looking up to the rooftops, hoping Nightwing didn’t decide to magically come back to Gotham after the hissy fit he threw. He wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but according to the grape-vine, it hadn’t ended well. Something about the new name and college or something along the line. But it seemed to be his fault somehow, like becoming Robin tore the entire world in two. 

“So tomorrow then?” Archer bounced on her toes, excitement coursing through her body, though she tried to hide it, she’d embarrassed herself enough in front of her hero.

“Yeah, tomorrow, be on the roof by ten, unless you have a bedtime, ya’know cause you're still a baby.” Robin grinned.

“I am not a baby.”

“I’m older than you.”

“Ha!” Archer pointed an accusing finger to Robin. “You told me something about you!”

“Yeah, and? How many people in this city are older than you.” Robin accused, raising a brow as Archer dramatically deflated. They stood like that for a few seconds, Archer mimicking a fish as she tried to find a reasonable response, and Robin waiting to see if she could actually accomplish it. 

“OH my god!” Archer suddenly screamed, a cat yowled in response and Archer put her hands over her mouth. 

“What?” Robin turned, expecting to see someone out of place but saw nothing. He turned back to Archer, who had moved closer. She moved her hands from her mouth, but not fully so Robin could only see her dull looking eyes. 

“Batman called you.” She sounded like she’d just witnessed a scandal.

“Yeah, so.” Robin shrugged. 

“You said you’d be there soon, but you’re still here, talking to me, and, oh my gosh, is your dad gonna come after me cause I kept you? Aah! Do you have a bedtime?” Robin stood still for a moment, his eyes wide, mouth agape. Archer stood still too, her hand pulling at the purple beads on her necklace as she panicked. 

“No! Not my dad, Batman is not my dad, I don’t have a bedtime!” Archer took this information, and looked wide eyed at Robin before breathing out her next words.

“That's creepy.”

“What?” He sounded offended. 

“He’s not your dad, but you dress up and fight crime together, but he’s not your dad, do your parents know, my mama would be pissed,” Archer made an aborted noise as she pushed her hands back to her face.

“What?”

“I cursed.” Archer cringed.

“Yeah, so fucking what, maybe you are a baby, you sure you live in Gotham, this deep in Gotham and you don’t have a dirty mouth?” Robin had the nerve to look offended.

“Yes I don’t have a dirty mouth! My gran would kill me! Then my ma would bring me back and kill me!” Archer pulled tighter on her necklace.

“Whoa, dude, slow your roll, no ones here but me and-” He stilled, bringing his hand up to his ear again. Archer leaned close in curiosity.

“Right, on the way.” He looked angry, but Archer was unsure about what. He turned to look at her and sighed, like the sigh her classmates make when the teacher gives homework for the weekend. 

“Guess I gotta go, Harley showed up.” Archer perked up, she liked Harley Quinn, the woman laughed at everything and looked like she knew how to have fun. She was smart too. Archer had only been living in Gotham for a year when she met the woman. She had been in the park, lost. She hadn’t been to Robinson Park before and had lost her dad in a crowd, all because she thought she saw a cat.

* * *

A lot of people were running around, screaming in panic. Archer was used to this though, even when she lived in Central, there had always been something going down so this didn’t feel any different. But then she found herself in a rather open section of the park, only her and a few trees. She hadn’t noticed the absence of people, so focused on finding the cat. But she could hear fighting, and seeing as she grew up in Central, she had a rather large fascination with heroes, always excited to watch Flash and later his Sidekick take down bad guys. 

The first time she saw a villain was when Captain Cold wanted to rob the bank that happened to be next to the music shop her mom had taken her too. It was fun listening to the back and forth banter as her mom tried to shield her with her body and the old man behind the counter of the music shop looked devastated at the opening in his shop wall that gave him a view of the bank. She had talked non-stop about it that day, bouncing excitedly as her dad looked at her in mild horror and her gran talked excitedly along with her. The woman worked at the precinct and had the most fascinating stories to tell about how often she would see streaks of color and then ‘boom’ a villain all wrapped up like a birthday present. 

When Archer had finally made it to watch the fight, it was between a man and a woman. The man had been dressed in all black, something Archer had hissed at seeing how it was a hot august day. She had immediately caught on to the fact that the man was batman, she had seen him on the news after all. She then looked at the woman, who wore a more fitting outfit for the heat. It looked like a bathing suite, but leafy. Her hair was really red, redder than her grandpas hair color in all the pictures she’s seen. She was really pretty, and she seemed to really like the plants because every time Batman cut one down she got angrier. 

Archer had stood behind the tree for a good five minutes she supposed, before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She stiffened, and slowly turned her head to look behind her. Another lady stood behind her, her face covered in paint. She had on skin tight clothes, red and black. She’d seen this lady on the news too, her gran had said she was a psychiatrist, always got such a sad face when her picture showed up on the news. 

“Harley.” Archer whispered, in fear that Batman would hear her, she had read in school that a bat had really good hearing.

“Sure is kiddo, whatcha doin over here?” Her voice was squeaky. She had her hands on her hips and she bent at the waist to stare Archer in the face. 

“Chased a cat.” Archer hated this, she would rather gush over the woman than look like an idiot with her two-three word sentences. 

“Ah, I see, bats’ chases a cat too, but I think that's for a different reason.” Harley winked, Archer tilted her head a bit, her eyes scrunching as she tried to figure out the reasoning. Her grandmother winked after she said or did something funny, but Archer always had some grasp at what she meant by it, but this was new.

“Yeah, probably too young for that arentcha!” Harley laughed and Archer feared Batman would see them now. She wanted to continue talking with Harley, then an idea struck her brain.

“I’m lost.” She said softly, her grip on the tree tightening in fear of the woman her gran talked about so much would shove her aside. 

“Oh, I see!” Harley laughed again and then held out her hand. “Where is it you came from, huh kiddo?” Archer looked at Harley's hand, fighting sounds in the background as she reached her small hand and held onto Harley's gloved one. 

“That way,” Archer lifted her hand and pointed in the vague direction she believed she had come from. “I was with my daddy, but we got sep-er-ated.”

“Oh, I see, let's go find him then, yeah?” Archer nodded as she followed Harley, her eyes watching the woman's weird pigtails bob up and down as she hopped with each step, Archer found herself hoping soon as well.

“Gran says you're a doctor.” Harley faltered in a hop and Archer almost backpedaled. 

“Was, was a doctor yeah.” Archer noted how sad she looked. “How's your Gran know that huh?” Archer shrugged.

“Gran says she has her ways to know a lot of things, daddy says Gran-pa was a villain, but mama says he’s not no more so it’s fine. Gran tells me stories from Gran-pa cause he can't no more.” Harley faltered for a different reason this time, one Archer didn’t understand. 

“Oh, that's cool.” Harley looked in thought before she stopped, letting go of Archer’s hand. 

“Miss. Harley?" Harley looked to Archer before laughing.

"Miss Harley? I like it!" The woman laughed again. She knelt down and instructed Archer to climb on her shoulders, which she did. So they walked like that, Harley moving in a different direction and Archer looking over the crowd from her new perch in hopes of spotting her dad. It was an easy task, as everyone had steered clear of Harley. When Archer did see her dad, Harley waltzed over to the frazzled man with purpose. He was biting his knuckle, turning the tan skin white, and looking in the crowd at the height Archer roughly was when not on someone's shoulders. So when he heard his child's voice, he looked up in surprise, his face going white and his eyes opening wide. 

Harley had sat her down and, after smiling at Archer and pushing her closer to her dad, chewed her father's ear off. But it wasn't an angry yelling, it was like her mother's concern laced words when talking to Archer's father while holding pamphlets and envelopes.

So yes, Harley was her favorite villain in Gotham, just like Captain Cold was her favorite in Central. Though both for entirely different reasons. 

* * *

"You'll really be back tomorrow?" Archer lifted to her toes.

"Yeah, promise." Archer nodded in contemplation of the words, before she decided on an action and lifted her hand pinky out.

"What's this kiddy stuff?"

"Pink promise." Archer puffed out her cheeks.

“You don’t trust me?” He looked offended but Archer mover forward, pinky stretched out. 

“I do, but just to make sure.”

“Robin’s can’t break promises, so this is useless.” He scuffed, but he followed through with Archer’s wishes and linked his pinky with hers.

“You can’t break promises?” Archer’s eyes light up with the need to know more as they unlinked pinkies. 

“Well yeah, it’s Robin code.” He smirked. “But that's for another story, I gotta run!” He pointed the gun at a building on the other street and shot, a long wire coming out of the small contraption. “See you tomorrow!” He yelled out as he disappeared into the sky. 

Archer waved him goodbye, watching as he disappeared further into the skyline. She smiled, hugging the cape close to her as she turned around. She made her way up the steps of her building, opening the door with a sharp push to get inside. The air in the building sat in a stale mix of smoke and an odd odor she wasn't interested in finding out the makings of. She walked to the stairs, side eyeing the elevator and thinking better of it as she pulled the yellow cape closer to herself. If she pulled it any closer she may absorbed it. The carpeted stairs were stained with so much muck that Archer and many of the other children she met made a game of trying to figure out what the original color had been. Her mother often said it was pointless, the carpet was patterned anyway so you had know chance of knowing anyway.

"Hey Archi, where's Gwen?" Archer looked up from the steps, she had reached the fourth floor before someone stopped her. Mr. Henry was taking up occupants on the floor outside his opened apartment door, a strong odor wafted through the hall and Archer scrunched her nose.

"She's at work, what's that smell?" She stood steadily at the bottom of the stair leading up to the fifth floor, her floor. "Burnt my food, thought your granny may have pointers for the smell." He laughed, taking in Archer once more.

"Found a new blanket huh, you get here all by yourself?"

"Almost, but a lady stopped me in an alley, Robin was there and gave me his cape 'cause I was cold." Archer puffed out her chest and stood tall, proud of her accomplishment of getting home by herself, even three-fourths of the way. Mr. Henry arched his brown in speculation before laughing to himself.

"Alright kid, if you say so. Say Hi to your mom for me, tell her she's welcome to send over more of that soup she makes anytime." Archer nodded shortly as Mr. Henry waved her off, going back to pick up a book he had placed on the ground. She wasn't all to pleased about being doubted, but if that's the price to pay to go home quicker she'd take it. Finally on her floor, she walked around the cat sitting outside room 501 and to the next door 503. She shuffled around the door before finding the spare key taped to the wall near the floor, the tape came up with a loud tearing but no one seemed to hear it so Archer continued on her way. She unlocked the door then put the key back in it's tape-prison. Slowly, just incase her mama had gone to sleep already, she peaked through the door willing it to not squeak. They had put WD-40 on the hinges earlier in the day but Archer didn't count herself lucky on a normal day. She sighed in relief as she was able to enter her home unannounced, closing the door behind her.

She slipped of her flats then her socks and tip-toed her way to her bedroom, a room she used to share with her grandmother but didn't anymore. Her grandmother had gotten an apartment on the fourth floor next to Mr. Henry with the excuse of 'I don't have to spend every waking moment with you Jacob, you and your family are capable to live by yourselves!' she had laughed loudly as she produced a key to her new living space and promptly ordered Archer and her dad to help move the furniture. It was a fun day that ended in two boxes of pizza and a liter of soda. Archer moved her way over the carpeted flooring and through her door, a sheet that hung from a curtain rode above the door frame. The room never had an actual door, Papa had told her it was supposed to be an office room. She liked the sheet though, it reminded her of walking through a hidden room or a waterfall like characters in her books did. She slowly took off her wet clothes, so she stood in shorts and an undershirt.

Hanging the wet articles of clothing over the side of her hamper, she grabbed the folded set of night clothes off her dresser and made her way into the hall before venturing into the bathroom to take a shower. After she was finally dry and dressed she took the rest of her dirty garments and chucked them into the hamper with less care than she gave the wet ones. She picked up Robins cap and hung it neatly over the edge of her headboard. 

She had eaten dinner already, at the hospital with her dad and gran. Shuffling into her blankets, the warm throw blanket she kept between her and the pink sheets holding steady as she tried to get comfortable under her mound. Rolling over to face the inside of her room, she looked out her window. Only a small sliver of sky could be seen peaking in between the building squished closely together. She burrowed herself further into her covers and smiled, today had been a good day.


End file.
